Knapsack fire extinguisher and sprayer



March 7, 1944. a. E. BULLOCK KNAPSACK FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND SPRA'YER 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 13, 1941 O u w m I IN VENTOR 215,504; OCK

A rromvfi Watch 7, 1944. BULLOCK 2,343,400

I KNAP SACK FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND SPRAYER Filed Feb, 15, 1941 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 6/455 5 BULLOCK ATTOR EV Patented Mar. 7, 1944TENT OFFICE KNAPSACK FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND- SPRAYER f Giles Bullock,Rem-ester, N. Y. Application retinal- 13, 1941, SerialfNo. 378,765

1 Claim. (class-97) This. invention relates te-portable fireextinguishers and Sprayers of the knapsack type and the object of theinvention is to provide a novel construction for such a fireextinguisher and sprayer. g i,

Another object of this. invention is to provide the extinguisher andsprayerwith a novel combined cover, handle. and pump support.

A further object of this invention is to provide the extinguisherandsprayer with a combined reinforcing and locking means for rigidlyholding and locking the base of the extinguisher and sprayer to asupporting member.

Still another object of this invention is to. seal the filler openingofthe tank With a cover to prevent the spilling of liquid therefrom andprovide a novel arrangement of a valve in the cover to permit theadmission of air into the tank and provide efficient operation of thepump.

All these and other objects and attendant advantages will become morereadily apparent from the detailed description of the invention whichfollows, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in whichFigure 1 is a partial side elevation and longitudinal section of thefire extinguisher and sprayer as it appears locked and held in place onits support.

Figure 2 is a top plan view and horizontal section of the extinguisherand sprayer, the section being taken on the line 22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the extinguisher and sprayertaken on the line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of the cover and pump support ofthe extinguisher and sprayer, the section being taken on the line 44 inFigure 1.

As illustrated in the figures, the fire extinguisher and sprayerconstruction, forming the subject matter of my present invention,comprises the metal tank I which is closed at the bottom by the invertedhead 2 and is closed at the top by the slightly dome shaped head 3. Eachof these heads is provided with a flange which telescopingly engagesinto the top and bottom of the body of the tank and is electroweldedthereinto.

The tank has a substantially oval horizontal cross section and toreinforce the bottom transversely thereof a reinforcing tie rod tconnects the opposing sides of the tank within the inverted bottom head2 on the outside of the tank. The substantially straight portions of thewall of the tank are thus held spaced at the bottom and held connectedby; a tie rod so as to prevent pressure from within or. knocks againstthe bottomffrom without from distorting the tank and opening the weldedseam which seals the bottom headinto the tank.

' When the fire: extinguisher or sprayer is to be. carried on a truckitis supported on a, suitable platform 5 and to hold it in place on theplatform a. locking plate. 6, is provided thereon. This locking plate issuitably bolted in place and one end of the platform is provided withthe opening '1 for the engagement of the locking pin 8 thereinto. Thislocking pin is enlarged by diametrically arranged shoulders 8A to, causethefipin to normally project from the locking plate when inserted intothe hole 1 as illustrated in Figure l.

Projecting upwardly from opposing edges of the locking plate are a pairof fixed latch members 9, 9 which are adapted to engage the tie rod 4when the tank I is placed onto the locking plate 6 with the tie rod 4 tothe left thereof and is then moved to the right to have the latchmembers engage over the tie rodto hold the tank in place on thesupporting platform. After the tank is engaged by the latch members thelocking pin 8 is inserted into the opening 1 to hold the tank againstlateral movement to the left out of engagement with the latch membersand the tank is thus fixedly locked to the supporting platform until thelocking pin is removed to permit the tank to be disengaged from thelatch members 9, 9 on a lateral movement to the left.

Liquid from the tank is filtered or screened thru the screen lllwhich issuitably mounted on the inside of the tank at the outlet to which thepump hose II is connected.

The head 3 at the topof the tank is provided with the filler opening I2which is opened and closed by the closure mechanism similar to thatillustrated and described in my prior Patent 2,105,451. In the presentform of this closure mechanism the locking bolt l2 limits the rotatingmovement of the cover l3 by its engagement with the lug Id. The latteris arranged on the underside of the flange l5 in a position where itsengagement with the bolt aligns the handle I6 longitudinally of the tankI so that the locking movement of the bolt l2 not only seals the coverover the filler opening but also locates the handle IS in apredetermined position relative to the top of the tank I.

Locating the handle it in a predetermined position is essential for thisknapsack type fire extinguisher and sprayer because the handle is usedfor holding the pump II in place on top of the tank. For this purposethe horizontal member of the handle is channel shaped and has asubstantially semi-cylindrical cross section which is adapted toencircle slightly more than half of the circumference of the pump barrelin order to hold the barrel in the handle after being insertedthereinto. The grip of the handle on the pump barrel is made yielding bymeans of a pair of spaced slots in one side of the handle. These slotsdivide the wall of one side of the handle so that each section may yieldmore readily. to the pressure of the pump barrel on its insertion intoor withdrawal from the supporting handle.

The hose I I which connects the tank with the pump I1 is flexible andthus permits the handle H; to be turned with the pump into a positiontransversely to the tank which is necessary for the insertion orwithdrawal of the ends of the 3 locking bolt l2 from the slots 12A onthe closing or opening of the filler opening by the cover l3.

The tank is provided with a pair of carrying straps 20, 20 which aresuitably anchored to the top and at the bottom of the tank and a shield2i is spacedly attached to the back of the tank as illustrated in Figure2' so that in carrying the tank in the manner of a knapsack the back ofthe person carrying the tank rests against the shield and not the tankproper. The spacing of the shield from the tank provides sufiicientspace between the shield and the tank to cause any liquid on the outsideof the tank to drain between the tank and the shield and thus keep itfrom contacting the back of the carrier. The spacing of the shield fromthe tank furthermore provides necessary ventilation between the back ofthe carrier and tank and thus prevents chilling the back of thepersoncarrying the tank.

The cover l3 hermetically seals the filler opening so that no liquid mayspill from it while being carried, but in order to permit liquid to bedrawn from the tank by the pump, air must be admitted into the tankduring the operation of the pump. This is made possible by the valvemember 22 provided on the under side of the central dome 23 in the coverl3. This valve member comprises a rubber disc which is yieldingly heldagainst the inside of the top of the dome 23 to normally cover the airinlet opening 24. Liquid from the inside of the tank can therefore notescape or spill thru this opening but whenever the pump I1 is operatedto draw liquid from the tank, the partial vacuum created in the tankcauses the atmospheric pressure to force air into the inlet opening 24and displace the valve member and thus admit air into the tank for theproper operation of the pump.

I claim:

In a fire extinguisher and sprayer the combination of a tank having afiller opening in the top thereof, a rotating cover for opening andclosing said filler opening, a handle carried by said cover, a channelprovided on top of said handle, a pump adapted to be yieldingly held inplace in said handle, and stop means for limiting the rotative movementof said cover and provide for the alignment of said handle with the pumpsupported thereon relative to said tank.

GILES E. BULLOCK.

